How to Make Listeners Breathless for More with Wild Boys' Sam Mullins
When Sam Mullins was growing up in a small, almost utopian Canadian town, two boys appeared one summer as if from nowhere. They said they'd been raised in the woods, which accounted for why they were so...strange. And skinny. And would only eat fruit, and seemed to have only the ragged clothes on their backs. Sam was a teenager when a scandal exploded around the boys...and he remembered it 20 years later, when as a struggling — maybe failed — actor and writer, he was searching for a podcast to make and a mystery to unravel. On the basis of a cold email pitch from a novice podcaster, Sam's story became the acclaimed, award-winning Campside Media series Chameleon: Wild Boys. You'll learn from Sam the kinds of questions he asked multiple sources; how he convinced a reluctant protagonist to talk with him; why he didn't take the existing reporting at face value; how he uses language expertly to evoke characters and places; the critical role of the editor-writer relationship; and how to structure a series not just for plot but for momentum, emotional affect on the listener, and always for a bigger vision. And you'll learn what it means to ask, "But what is this story about, about?" The charming Sam Mullins is a gold mine of information and inspiration for any storyteller — in audio and beyond. A word of caution: There is a brief mention of suicide in this episode. Please use care while listening.
Sound Judgment · Sam Mullins, Tina Bassir, Andrew Parella, Elaine Appleton Grant
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Show Notes
About Sam Mullins
Sam Mullins is a writer, comedian and journalist based in Toronto, and is the host of the critically acclaimed podcast series “Chameleon: Wild Boys” and “Chameleon: Dr Dante” from Campside Media and Sony Music. For the past decade, he's been writing comedy for TV + radio, and performing his award-winning solo shows all over North America. His stories have been featured on This American Life, The Moth, and CBC's The Doc Project.
The episode discussed on today’s Sound Judgment:
Chameleon: Wild Boys Episode 1. Arrival
We believe that no podcast host does good work alone. All hosts rely on their producers, editors, and engineers -- the hidden hands that enable a host to shine. We strive to give credit to every podcast team whenever it’s possible to do so.
Wild Boys Credits: Host: Sam Mullins; Producer: Abukar Adan; Senior Producer: Ashleyanne Krigbaum; Executive Producer: Matt Shaer; Editor: Karen Duffin; Sound Design and Mixing: Hannis Brown and Garrett Tiedemann
At the end of every episode, I give you a few of the many takeaways from these conversations. Here are today’s:
- As storytellers, we already know that curiosity is critical. But are you as curious as you can be? When Sam first started looking into this old story, he discovered that reporters had only skimmed the surface. Sam was driven by a need to understand how this situation could have happened. He began asking questions like what was their childhood like? What would drive two young men to do something like this?
- Trust your instincts. If you think there’s more to a story than meets the eye, you’re probably right. Sam trusted his when he said, “There has to be much more here than they were just jerks messing with us.” And there was.
- Working with a good editor is a godsend - it can mean the difference between a memorable story or series and one that falls flat. But, as Sam says, the relationship with an editor is a scary one, because it’s so intimate. You have to earn each other’s trust and be completely honest with each other.
- The creative work you do without recognition or outward signs of success is never wasted. I’m a sucker for an overnight success story – which is what Sam’s story initially sounded like. But I’m also a sucker for most people’s real overnight success stories – which is that good fortune isn’t sudden at all; it’s the outcome of years of building skills.
Links mentioned in this episode:
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Credits
Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC.
Host: Elaine Appleton Grant
Podcast Manager: Tina Bassir
Production Manager: Andrew Parrella
Audio Engineer: Kevin Kline
Production Assistant: Audrey Nelson